Big day, small details

I spent last Saturday photographing Catherine and Dean’s wedding, and with a 12pm ceremony at the Unitarian Church, an early morning was in store for the bride and bridesmaids as they went through the pre-wedding preparations of hair and makeup.  It also meant an early morning for me as I headed to the bride’s house to document that initial part of the day, and capture some of the smaller details that would tell the story of the morning.

When I arrived Catherine was out having her hair done, but the three bridesmaids were having hair and makeup done in the kitchen.  Until make up was applied they weren’t keen to be photographed and so I set about looking for some details around the room, and indeed around the house, to capture in the meantime.

In a house where three bridesmaids and a mother of the bride were having hair and make up done it wasn’t difficult to find hair straighteners, makeup and hair dryers lying around.  The selection of makeup was vast – I guess a necessity of catering for many different skin tones and types at once – and I could easily have made this panel of nine images solely from shots of the makeup.

There were other hints of the day that was in it too – the wedding acceptance on the mantle piece, the cup cakes that would be given to the choir who were to perform at the ceremony later in the day, and the flowers ready for the lapels of Catherine’s father and brothers.

I strolled out into the hallway delighted to see shoe polish and a brush left on a step, and completed the panel with a shot of the day’s Irish Times to show the date, which I had brought with me both as a prop, and as some reading material if anyone was to have some down time, which no one really had.  It was a busy morning.

Having captured these images, all in ambient light, it was time to photograph the dress, shoes, flowers and jewellery before the bride arrived back to put them on, and there would be time for just a few shots of the bride putting the finishing touches to her dress and makeup before heading off to the church ahead of her for the ceremony that lay ahead.